|
By Susanna
Swenson
Editor
Crystal Warren wants to become a chef. And once she does, she wants
to travel.
Ontario, British Columbia and maybe the United States, she's not
sure where she might go, but she's confident she won't have any
trouble finding a job.
The 18-year-old is taking the two-year chef's course at the Culinary
Institute of Canada in Charlottetown. The training is recognized
by employers and the market is hungry for chefs.
In fact, Warren's story isn't unusual these days. Job offers from
the United States are looking so good, especially with the exchange
rate, that a majority of her classmates are looking south as they
make their plans.
That's just making a difficult situation worse for local businesses
trying to hire people for their operations.
There is now a shortage of workers - not just chefs - throughout
P.E.I. It doesn't worry Warren.
"The cook shortage has become more apparent in the past few
years. A great number of people are becoming more aware of the problem
and are trying to fix it," Warren said.
But it does worry people like Kathy Livingstone, director of training
and education at the Atlantic Tourism and Hospitality Institute.
The demand for cooks and chefs to work in P.E.I. and across Canada
is increasing their wages, but employers will have to offer more
perks to attract workers, said Livingstone.
The shortage is not just on the Island, but in other areas of Canada
as well, she said. There is a difference between restaurant cooks
and the culinary students, she added.
Culinary students are educated to become top chefs and travel to
find the right job. The students are taught what to do and how to
work with pastry, soups and sauces, breakfast, butchery, production
management and cold cuisine.
Warren says chefs receive promotions more often and the pay and
benefits are much better. They are getting into the business side
of restaurants including managment and ownership.
The Institute offers employers highly-trained chefs each year, but
very few students stay on the Island. Culinary colleges across Canada
say their graduates have little trouble finding work. They can pick
from several employment opportunities, she said.
Most students from the school leave the Island and search for work
in other provinces across Canada or in the United States. The competition
in the field is growing, so there is more opportunity for people
to travel around the world.
"People are becoming more mobile now. They are not limited
to P.E.I for work," says Culinary program manager David Harding.
Chefs are looking for the worldwide culinary hot destinations.
"Places like Utah, the Bahamas, New Orleans and European country's
are the most sought after work environments."
"The students are looking to work with professional chefs in
these nice cities," Harding said.
And there are other problems facing Island employees. The shortage
of cooks depends on the location of the restaurant and the employer
and the amount of skills needed, Livingstone said.Employers outside
Charlottetown have a difficult time finding somebody because of
transportation problems.
"Some people don't have cars and live too far, so they can't
walk to work," she said.
Harding agrees.
"Someone from Charlottetown is able to work at a place like
the Delta in town, instead of having to travel to a place like Cavendish."
Meanwhile, cooks, including line cooks, short order cooks and preparation
cooks, require some skills but don't receive a lot of formal training
once they are hired, Livingstone said. It's difficult for Island
employers to find the right kitchen staff with the knowledge of
cooking skills.
|
|
Crystal
Warren is not worried about the chef shortage on the Island. She
plans to open a restaurant in the Maritimes with a friend in the
future. (Swenson photo)
"They have to have a knowledge of cooking, like what temperature
to cook something at or what to do if they receive 20 orders at
once."
Also, most of the jobs are seasonal and the pay isn't great, she
said. Plus, the peak season for cooks and chefs is during the summer
months but from October to May, Island restaurants don't see many
customers.
Not many people travel during those months, students are back at
school and people are back at work, said Harding.
And the working hours for these type of cooks vary from place to
place. It's not a typical Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job.
There is a lot of shift work involved.
"The hours, working conditions and wages for cooks are not
the best and the work is very stressful," Livingstone said.
Most employers will not hire someone off the street, she said, so
the institute has tried to help. It offered cooking lessons. They
offered three to four weeks of basic training for people. It would
have allowed new cooks to learn new skills in cooking and preparation
and experienced cooks to enhance their skills and expand their repertoire.
The program was cancelled from lack of interest.
"I'm not sure why there was no interest in it," Livingstone
said. "But I know it's hard work, hot and very stressful, which
doesn't make it a very appealing job."
At the same time, there has been an increase in students applying
to the Culinary Institute in the past six years, Harding said.
"In 1997, there were about 72 students attending the school.
In 2001, there were a little over 200 students."
The problem is, about 80 per cent of the students at the culinary
school are not from the Island. Most come from the other Atlantic
Provinces. Some are international students. Many students still
like to choose a school and a job close to home, but students have
been moving farther from home to gain experience and improve their
career chances.
"The tourism industry is growing, so places like B.C. are not
too long a distance for students to travel anymore," Harding
said.
And demand for their services is high. Businesses across Canada
and in the U.S. are e-mailing culinary schools looking for student
chefs to work as interns, he said.
Meanwhile, as the economy improves, the number of new restaurants
opening increases the pressure. Even so, Warren hopes to return
to the Island, one day
"My best friend and I want to open a restaurant too on the
Island or in New Brunswick somewhere in a few years," Warren
said. "With my education and experience, an employer wouldn't
turn me away."
|
